Masquerade
by bookwormtsb
Summary: It's her 6th Year at Hogwarts and Hermione Granger has it all: good grades, great friends, a position as prefect and the perfect boyfriend in the form of Ronald Weasley. Well she did before a certain blonde pure blood stepped all over that in the form of one Masquerade Ball and a single spell. A multi-chapter fic.


**Disclaimer: Okay so I don't own Harry Potter. **

**A/N: In this fic Hermione and Ron are already in an established relationship so there'll be no hanky panky with Lavender Brown. **

"Hermione?"

I screwed my eyes up and burrowed under the warmth of my duvet, as a voice called from somewhere far off.

"Hermione, wake up!"

Not now, I internally begged and curled into the foetal position with the covers tucked underneath me.

"HERMIONE GRANGER!"

A viciously angry Ginny Weasley tugged the duvet straight off my bed and in the process threw me to the floor. I landed in a mess of blankets and pillows.

A cushion was yanked out from under my head," Oy!" I yelled in protest and whacked her with another one of the cushions that had been dragged to the floor with me.

"You have to wake up, the train leaves in 2 hours and you're not even packed," Ginny moaned and tried in vain to pull me across the floor with the corner of the duvet.

"Mmm, I'll take the car and fly," I mumbled and tried to curl up under the duvet.

"Hermione!" she screeched and with one final tug sent me sprawling across the room. I climbed to my feet and pulled down the hem of my oversized science camp t-shirt self-consciously. Ginny smirked and slowly made her way to the door, " your dad says that we have to leave in about an hour to get to King's Cross on time," I nodded and slumped back onto my bed as soon as she had left. As much as I liked school, I really did prefer and undisturbed nights sleep. I rubbed my fists into my eye sockets and tried in vain to blink away the tiredness. After a brief session of wallowing on top of the duvet I climbed to my feet and began to tidy my room.

I wrinkled my nose distastefully as I cast aside a pair of lime green socks that were lurking under the bed and shut the top of my trunk. As always my trunk was about 85% books and 15% clothes- seeing as we wore uniform for the majority of the year I didn't really need that many home clothes. Besides, what sort of social life do you think the school's bookworm would have? Exactly, I didn't really have to dress up for anyone. Well there was Ron, but he was basically oblivious to most things. I pushed the trunk with my foot and climbed over it so that I could reach my wardrobe. The weather was still hot so I pulled out a slightly too big bottle green t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts.

The summer had left me with a light brown tan and a face full of freckles, I'd also grown about two inches and my hair had grown the same amount. Turning away from my reflection I gathered up my retainer, glasses (thanks to the muggle invention of contacts I rarely wore them around people) and inhaler from my bedside cabinet and tucked them into my tiny leather rucksack.

"Hermione!" Ginny called from the hallway, I slipped my feet into a pair of worn leather brogues and grabbed my trunk and rucksack. Crookshanks was sitting at the bottom of the stairs as I pulled my luggage along the hallway and down the staircase. Ginny was standing just outside the open front door and chatting idly to my dad. I quickly darted into the kitchen and examined the _teeny tiny _coating of mascara that I'd applied in my reflection in the microwave door After all, I hadn't seen Ron for a fortnight now- ever since I'd arrived to pick up Ginny- and I wanted to look my best. I felt my cheeks blush under my light tan as I thought about the way he'd kissed me in Grimauld Place the summer before. I adjusted the straps of my rucksack over my rucksack and with one final look at my reflection, entered the hallway.

Ginny turned to face me, "so when you've finally finished with being vain- can we get going?" she asked with a very slight smirk, I rolled my eyes and gathered Crookshanks up in my arms. Dad had already put our trunks into the boot of the car and was standing impatiently on the porch. I tried to stifle a yawn with my fist as I climbed into the back seat of the car. Ginny strapped herself in and shot me a smile, " another year as prefect eh?" I nodded and checked for the outline of my burgundy badge in my short pocket.

"I'm sorry you didn't get it Gin," I murmured, wincing at the memory of her crestfallen expression as she opened her envelope. The car pulled out of our driveway and I shot a final glance at my house. Ron had already asked me to stay around the Burrow at Christmas and I had accepted immediately. I felt a little flutter in my chest as I remembered his hands on my waist and his lips pressed up against mine. I tugged nervously on the chain of the silver necklace that he'd given to me for my birthday.

We arrived at King's Cross early and climbed out of the car. I went around to the back of the car to help my dad with the trunks before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I'll see you soon dad okay?" he nodded and gave me a bone-crushing hug before putting his arm around my mum and smiling proudly.

"Thanks for having me Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Ginny grinned before shaking my dad's hand and giving my mum a hug.

"No problem Ginny," mum smiled warmly before pulling me into the hug too, I felt her hand on my back and then a something drop into my backpack. As I stepped away I felt her warm breath in my ear- "open it when you get to Hogwarts," I nodded slightly and grabbed a hold of my trunk and Crookshanks' cage.

"I love you," I smiled and squeezed both of their hands in turn before turning around and heading towards the platform. Ginny squealed as we walked through the revolving door. She abandoned her luggage by my side and sprinted towards a tall boy with a mass of sandy hair and a pair of startlingly blue eyes.

"Hi," I span around to be faced with the delicious sight of Ron's chest. I craned my neck up slightly and stared up at him.

"Hey," I answered and bit my lip, trying to contain my excitement. He'd grown a helluva lot over the summer holidays and his hair had been tinted a kind of strawberry blonde from the sun. Due to his grown spurt he was a lot skinner that he'd been at the end of last year and he looked a lot older, his hair had been chopped away so that it was piled on top and his long nose was insanely freckly. I wrapped my arms around his bony chest and crushed him in a long hug. He laughed with a deeper and huskier voice, oh the wonders of puberty.

"Calm down Mione," He brushed a strand of hair of hair out of my eyes, "you look um really nice like in a pretty way," he mumbled, his cheeks turning the same shade as his hair. I laughed and ran my hands across his (surprisingly toned) chest and giggled.

"You're so cute Ronald Weasley," I grinned and he turned fuchsia.

"I am _so _not cute," he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

We were rudely interrupted from our flirting marathon by a sneering voice, "ugh Pansy look at that, it's the mating of two types of scum," I turned around in an instant.

"Piss off Malfoy," I snapped. He merely sniggered and shot a look of derision at us. I felt Ron's arms tighten around my waist.

"Weasel, can you at least not try to control your mudblood?" He sneered and Ron's hands clenched into fists.

"Just bugger off Malfoy, you prat." Ron hissed, Malfoy licked his lips and shot me a smirk.

"Oh I see what's happening here, honestly Granger, you might be a mudblood but even you could do better than a Weasley, you'll probably have to get married in rags and then go live in that pig sty of his with all those red-headed children," he wrinkled his nose and I strained against Ron's hold on me.

"Say one more thing about my family Malfoy, go on, I dare you," Ginny hissed from where she was standing about a metre behind him. He turned around and shot her a toothy (cat who got the cream type) grin.

"Well it appears that boobs don't run in your family Weaselette, well obviously your mother's the exception but maybe that's just because she's so fat. I don't blame her, sows normally are quite large after they've had a litter," out of nowhere Ginny's bright blue eyed boyfriend smacked Malfoy around the face. The handprint stood out against the almost translucently pale skin that stretched across his cheekbones.

Malfoy climbed to his feet a moment later, a manic smile on his face, "I'll see you around Granger," I shuddered as he walked off, Pansy and Blaise in tow.

"He is such a colossal prick," Ron commented as the blonde sashayed towards the train. Ginny's boyfriend, who introduced himself as Jamie Nicholls, was rubbing his faintly bruised knuckles with a faint look of pride across his attractive features.

"Definitely," Jamie agreed. Ron was so delighted at Jamie punching Malfoy that he forgot to deliver the whole 'break my sister's heart and I'll break your face' talk. I turned towards Ginny and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"You know Malfoy's just being his usual dick-ish self right?" she nodded morosely and wrapped her arms around her torso self-consciously. I swore under my breath and grabbed onto the handle of my trunk again, boy was Malfoy going to get it.

The train was cramped as we pushed our way down the aisle trying to find a halfway empty compartment. Finally I pushed on the door of a compartment, which was close to empty apart from Harry and Neville who were immersed in quiet conversation.

I squealed and threw myself towards Harry, "HARRY!" I yelled and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and burrowed my face into his side.

"I missed you Hermione," he grinned and pressed a soft kiss to my temple before helping to put both mine and Ginny's trunks onto the luggage rail. I took a seat opposite Jamie and Ginny who immediately began kissing, having been apart for the entire summer. On either side of me, both Harry and Ron's hands tightened into fists simultaneously. I allowed myself a tiny smile at the expense of my two best friends before hooking my ankle around Ron's and shifting closer to him. I pulled my Transfiguration book out of my rucksack and lost myself in the world of spells and incantations.

Several hours later I received a sharp nudge to the ribs, the sky outside the window was splattered with rain, _welcome to Scotland, _I thought miserably and shivered under my skimpy summer clothes. I looked around the compartment; everyone else had already changed into their school robes. I sighed heavily and returned my book to my bag and fetched the carrier bag containing my robes. The aisle outside the compartment was lit dimly by the swinging laps as the train shuddered its way up North. Laughter and conversations floated out from other compartments as I made my way towards the toilets and changing areas at the back of the train.

The lighting in the toilets was even poorer and I struggled to see as I pulled on my robes and knotted my Gryffindor tie around my neck. I gently splashed some water on my face, reapplied my mascara and fixed my hair before stepping out of the toilets. Draco Malfoy was leaning against the wall opposite the toilet with a Cheshire cat grin on his features.

"Dolling yourself up for Weasel, eh Granger?" he laughed as I pushed past him and headed back towards the compartment. By now, the sky was completely black and fat drops of rain were colliding with the windows. I wrenched open the sliding door of the compartment and threw myself down on the bench seat. Harry raised an eyebrow at my dark expression.

"Malfoy," I sighed and Ginny's brow furrowed in anger.

"He is such a dick, he was making all these jokes about our family and my boobs," she sniffed irritably and Harry's head snapped up.

"Just ignore him, he's probably jealous,"

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "of my boobs?" I tried to contain my laughter at Harry's flustered expression.

"Well you do have very nice-" he stopped himself as Jamie and Ron's glares zeroed in on him, "skin, yeah you have nice skin Ginny," I covered my mouth with my hand to prevent myself from bursting out with laughter. Harry was unbelievably bad with girls, as everyone had seen with Cho Chang the year before.

Neville piped up from the corner, "yeah you do have nice skin Ginny," that was all I needed as I burst into a round of raucous laughter and everyone turned to stare.

"Sorry," I mumbled and turned to stare embarrassedly at my lap.

The rest of the journey to Hogwarts was nowhere near as interesting as I turned back to my Transfiguration book. There was a spell- _mutans capillus color_- that changed the colour of your hair. I studied the wand movements and made sure to save it to my memory banks, I could try it out in my dorm that night. In fact, the 6th year Transfiguration book had a whole 22 pages dedicated to the transfiguration of facial and body features. I flicked through the pages, examining each fascinating spell and its use.

I didn't even notice when we arrived at Hogsmeade station and instead grumbled at having to put my book away. Ron pulled my trunk off of the luggage rack and his impressive biceps flexed with the effort. Harry had disappeared somewhere, I assumed that I'd been reading for a long time after the train pulled in and everyone had left. Ginny and Jamie were already heading towards the castle in a thestral pulled carriage. The floor shuddered slightly as Ron's own trunk was dropped to the ground. I grabbed Crookshank's cage and Ron grabbed Pig's.

As we climbed into one of the carriages Ron turned to look at me, finally after a summer of being surrounded by either of our families or Harry we were alone, "do you want to go into Hogsmeade with me on the next trip? We could get a butter beer and just hang out or _something?" _I nodded and took a hold of his long fingered hand.

"I'd love to," he shot me a toothy grin. His toothy grin moulded into a pout as he leaned across and pressed his lips against mine. His hands mussed my already untidy hair and I gasped against his open mouth. The familiar smell of spearmint toothpaste, soap and boy engulfed me. I was glad to finally be home.


End file.
